Grooming implement

ABSTRACT

A pocket-sized self-contained battery-powered hair comb having oscillating teeth for separating, unsnarling, and smoothing difficult hair.

United States Patent [1 1 Branch GROOMING IMPLEMENT [76] Inventor: John W. Branch, 333 E. Ontario,

Apt 3801 B, Chicago, Ill. 6061 l [22] Filed: Mar. 11, 1974 [21] App]. No.: 449,697

[52] U.S. Cl 132/11 A [51] Int. Cl. A45D 24/00 [58] Field of Search .7 132/11 R, 11 A; 128/32 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,272,023 9/1966 Ferguson et all 74/55 1 1 Aug. 5, 1975 3,474,795 10/1969 Hantman at al. 132/] 1 Primary E.\'aminerG. E. McNeill Attorney, Agent, 0r FirmEdward C. Threedy [57] ABSTRACT A pocket-sized self-contained battery-powered hair comb having oscillating teeth for separating, unsnarling, and smoothing difficult hair 6 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PATENTED AUG 5 I975 ShEE? PATENTEU AUG 5W5 SHEET GROOMING IMPLEMENT SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The preferred embodiment of the present invention is a compact, pocket-sized hair comb including within its case a battery-powered motor, the driven shaft of which is mechanically coupled to an oscillating plate, which in turn contacts the stems of each of the combing teeth for oscillating the same about their respective longitudinal axes.

It is within the concept of this invention that less than all of the teeth may be caused to oscillate and that the combing teeth may be of varying lengths, such as alternately long and short, with either set being oscillatory, as desired.

It is also within the concept of this invention that the motorized portions thereof, while primarily being battery-operated, can be constructed to be utilized with AC or DC current, with the battery being rechargeable.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The preferred form of the invention is shown in the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention showing portions of the casing and interior components in dotted lines;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the casing for the invention;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the casing, showing some of the mechanical components in sectional detailed relationship;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the comb teeth holder;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the comb teeth holder;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the comb teeth holder;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the comb teeth holder;

FIG. 8 is a side and end elevational view of a preferred form of comb tooth, as embodied in the invention;

FIG. 9 is a side and end elevational view of a modifled comb tooth construction;

FIG. I0 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the oscillating plate and drive mechanism therefor, used in the invention;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary top plan view of the oscillating plate showing in dotted lines a tooth positioned relative thereto; and

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the components of the invention in an unassembled and exploded relation.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a compact pocket-sized battery-powered comb, the combing teeth of which may be of a desired length or, in modification, alternately long and short, with the teeth being of a particular width and so arranged as to be oscillated through their longitudinal axes.

To accomplish the object of this invention, there is provided a casing 10 as well as a cover 11 (shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1) which has a releasable snap-on connection to the casing 10 and which covers and protects the combing teeth of the invention.

The casing 10 comprises two complementary sections 12 and 13, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 12. When the sections 12 and 13 are connected together, such as by plastic welding or the like, they will provide a battery compartment 14 defined by a base wall 15 and divider 16. Within the casing 10 there is a motor compartment 2 l7 and, defined by the divider l6, partial walls 18 and 19 and a shelf 20. The divider I6 as well as the shelf 20 are provided with suitable relieved portions 2! through which suitable electrical connections can be made between a battery 22 and a battery-powered motor 23, both shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1.

The open end 24 of the casing I0 has the side and end walls thereof formed to provide a rib 25 which in turn provides a recessed channel 26 within the open confines of the open end 24 of the casing I0 as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 12. The open end of the casing 10 is provided with an enlarged internal recess 27, with one side wall portion of the recess 27 being of a lesser inner diameter by reason of a depending shoulder 28 pro vided by the section I2 of the casing 10 as shown in FIG. 3.

A combing teeth holder is formed of two complementary parts 29 and 30. The confronting wall faces of the parts 29 and 30 are provided with a series of parallel semi-circular grooves 3I which, when the parts 29 and 30 are mated together (as shown in FIG. 5) form circular passages 32 (see FIGS. 4 through 6). The passages 32 terminate into recessed substantial triangular grooves 33 formed in the bottom wall of the combing teeth holder.

The combing teeth holder, when assembled as shown in FIG. 5, provides a top wall 34 having a peripheral flange 35 adapted to sit upon the end wall portions of the casing 10 within its open end 24. The side and end walls of the teeth holder provide a convex rib 36, which is adapted to snap into the internal channel 26 formed in the inner wall surfaces of the open end 24 of the casing 10.

A tooth-oscillating plate 37 (as shown in FIGS. 3 and I2) is provided and consists of a raised shoulder por tion 38 extending through the length of the plate 37, which shoulder 38 has one side edge thereof notched so as to provide teeth 39 extending transversely to the longitudinal length of the plate 37.

Formed in the bottom wall of the plate 37 is a circular recess 40 which is adapted to receive an eccentric 41, which is fixedly mounted to the end of a rotatable shaft 42 provided as a part of the motor 23. Thus, by rotation of the shaft 42 about its longitudinal axis, the eccentric will be caused to rotate within the recess 40, efiecting longitudinal movement of the oscillating plate 37 within the casing 10. The oscillating plate 37 is adapted to be positioned within the recess 27 with its narrower longitudinal edge projecting under the shoulder 28 as shown in FIG. 3.

Before the parts 29 and 30 of the teeth holder are mated together, the combing teeth, such as those shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, are mounted therein. To accomplish this, the combing teeth, such as that shown at 43 in FIG. 8, are formed to provide a stem portion 44 of a size to fit within the openings 32 provided by the combing teeth holder. An end plate 45 is connected to the stem 44 and has a portion thereof positioned within the substantially triangularly shaped grooves 33 formed in the bottom wall of the combing teeth holder and with the remaining portions thereof positioned between respective teeth 39 of the oscillating plate 37, as shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 9, there is a modified combing tooth 46 having a stem 47 and a base plate 48 which is positionable and functions in the same manner as the combing tooth 43 heretofore described, but which is of a lesser length.

The pocket-sized comb may be used simply by re moving the cover 11 so as to expose the combing teeth thereof. In the event that the user desires, through a suitable switch, such as that shown at 49, the motor 23 may be battery-powered to rotate the shaft 42 and effect oscillatory movement of the plate 37, which in turn through its connection with the base plate 45 of the combing teeth, may cause the same to oscillate in their openings 32 about their longitudinal axes. This will aid in unsnarling and smoothing difficult hair.

The device may be provided with a receptacle socket 50 for convenient connection to an AC/DC power source for operating either the motor 23 or recharging the battery 22. This latter desirable addition to the present embodiment constitutes no part of the inventive concept thereof.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A pockebsized hair comb comprising a. a hollow casing providing an open end and a removable cover therefor,

b. means within said casing for mounting a plurality of combing teeth thereto,

c. a plurality of elongated combing teeth carried in spaced parallel relation by said mounting means and extending longitudinally of the open end of said hollow casing,

d. a motor and a rotatable driven shaft within said casing,

e. teeth-oscillating means within said casing movable in a reciprocal linear plane transversely to the long axis of said teeth by said rotatable driven shaft of said motor, and

f. means provided by each of said combing teeth coupling said teeth to said oscillating means for oscillating said teeth about their longitudinal axis.

2. A pocket-sized hair comb as defined by claim I wherein said motor is battery-operated.

3. A pocket-sized hair comb as defined by claim 1 wherein said means within said casing for mounting a plurality of combing teeth thereto comprises a rectangularly shaped member frictionally positioned within said open end of said casing and providing a plurality of passages extending therethrough and through which a portion of said combing teeth is freely journalled.

4. A pocket-sized hair comb as defined by claim 3 wherein said motor is battery-operated.

5. A pocket-sized hair comb as defined by claim 1 wherein said teeth-oscillating means comprises an elongated plate adapted to be reciprocally moved through its longitudinal plane by said motor and said rotatable driven shaft for oscillating said combing teeth about their longitudinal axes.

6. A pocket-sized hair comb as defined by claim 5 wherein said motor is battery-powered. 

1. A pocket-sized hair comb comprising a. a hollow casing providing an open end and a removable cover therefor, b. means within said casing for mounting a plurality of combing teeth thereto, c. a plurality of elongated combing teeth carried in spaced parallel relation by said mounting means and extending longitudinally of the open end of said hollow casing, d. a motor and a rotatable driven shaft within said casing, e. teeth-oscillating means within said casing movable in a reciprocal linear plane transversely to the long axis of said teeth by said rotatable driven shaft of said motor, and f. means provided by each of said combing teeth coupling said teeth to said oscillating means for oscillating said teeth about their longitudinal axis.
 2. A pocket-sized hair comb as defined by claim 1 wherein said motor is battery-operated.
 3. A pocket-sized hair comb as defined by claim 1 wherein said means within said casing for mounting a plurality of combing teeth thereto comprises a rectangularly shaped member frictionally positioned within said open end of said casing and providing a plurality of passages extending therethrough and through which a portion of said combing teeth is freely journalled.
 4. A pocket-sized hair comb as defined by claim 3 wherein said motor is battery-operated.
 5. A pocket-sized hair comb as defined by claim 1 wherein said teeth-oscillating means comprises an elongated plate adapted to be reciprocally moved through its longitudinal plane by said motor and said rotatable driven shaft for oscillating said combing teeth about their longitudinal axes.
 6. A pocket-sized hair comb as defined by claim 5 wherein said motor is battery-powered. 